Pair this with The Great Game to understand what we don't understand about Afghanistan. To truly grasp it, take notes while reading to map the maze of dysfunction created by both the foreign and indigenous players. ( )

Had to read this while at EWS in 2019. Learned a lot more about the historical context of Afghanistan and the impact opium has on the country.

The conflict in Afghanistan is already America's longest war, and from reading any daily newspaper or watching any news show, we know that there's still much to do before the original U.S. objectives and expectations are likely to be achieved. So the fact that Chandrasekaran describes planning, organizational, civilian, military and political mistakes having been made in the Afghanistan war should surprise no one. And while we may recognize these problems in general terms, it's hard for most stateside civilians to fully understand the nature or extent of the problems faced by our people in Afghanistan. "Little America", explains these problems in painful detail. Chandrasekaran spent time in Country, and his first-hand accounts explain how and why huge nation building efforts are so complex, and so prone to failure due to changing plans, changing circumstances, not having a clear understanding of the local customs and values, and no clear vision of how to accomplish the goals. Particularly troubling are Chandrasekaran's descriptions of how conflicting programs and Government Agency policies lead to self defeating decisions in Afghanistan. Among these are how Agricultural experts, after determining that cotton would be a more benefical and easier to grow crop than poppies by Afghan farmers, were prohibited from implementing this program because U.S. laws prohibit helping non-U.S. farmers to raise competing cotton crops. So the result is that U.S. cotton growers, already subsidized, face no competition, and Afghan farmers continue to grow poppies, increasing drug supply in the U.S. and benefiting the Taliban insurgents. Not the type of story you want to read about after years of involvement in Afghanistan. In summary, despite the frustration of seeing how difficult it for an overreaching bureaucracy to succeed in rebuilding a failing nation, if you're interested in understanding why we weren't more successful in Afghanistan, this book is an excellent source of information. ( )

After reading this book, one would wonder if it even possible to govern a country like Afghanistan. After pumping billions of dollars and committing thousands of troops to that country, the US has very little to show in terms of progress. The extremists seem to be gaining the upper hand and it seems like a lost cause. The big questions is, what will happen if the US pulls out.

After reading this book, one would wonder if it even possible to govern a country like Afghanistan. After pumping billions of dollars and committing thousands of troops to that country, the US has very little to show in terms of progress. The extremists seem to be gaining the upper hand and it seems like a lost cause. The big questions is, what will happen if the US pulls out.